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Dear Friend,The month of November brings to mind so many sights, sounds, and memories -- the smell of pumpkin pie baking, cheering for your favorite football team, the changing colors of the leaves, the excitement of the coming holidays, heading to the polls to vote, festive parades, and gathering with family and friends to celebrate the most American of holidays -- Thanksgiving! This year, why not add some new traditions, like celebrating American Indian Heritage Month, or making your own unique holiday cards. Or, join your kids in learning about some of the other holidays around the world. No matter how you celebrate, we at the Smithsonian wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving! | |
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Virtual Visit
How Did You Vote?
Yesterday, people all over the country flocked to the polls to elect the candidates of their choice. Voting in America wasn't always private, secure, or open to everyone. The earliest votes were made by voice and recorded in public. Paper ballots evolved into lever-and-pulley machines, punch cards, and eventually computers. Learn more about how voting has changed in America. |
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Sights and Sounds
Saving a Painting
Have you ever wondered how the masterpieces hanging on the walls of museums stay so well preserved? What happens when a painting becomes cracked, torn, or warped? In this video, watch as a highly skilled conservator in the Lunder Conservation Center saves a painting from years of damage -- without destroying the artist's original work. |
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In the Spotlight
Football Star Terry Bradshaw
Football Hall-of-Famer Terry Bradshaw led the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl wins. The superstar quarterback broke records and, even after retirement, has stayed in the spotlight as a commentator, pre-game host, and pitchman for several products. Check out the uniform he wore in the 1980 Super Bowl when the Steelers took on the Los Angeles Rams. |
Planning a visit to the Smithsonian? Here are some of the memorable experiences currently available on the National Mall and beyond:
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| Banding Together |
| School bands can pump up a crowd during school events and provide entertainment for classmates, parents, and teachers. Banding Together: School Bands as Instruments of Opportunity, at the Anacostia Community Museum, looks at Washington, DC, public school bands, from the uniforms and instruments to the impact on the community. Through May 14. | |
| A Wampanoag Thanksgiving |
| Just in time for American Indian Heritage Month, culture bearer Tobias Vanderhoop tells the story of Thanksgiving as you may not have heard it before -- from the perspective of the Wampanoag Indian tribe that, according to legend, hosted the "First Thanksgiving." Listen as his stories come alive through dance, drumming, and song. November 14, 15, 16 at the National Museum of the American Indian. Click and scroll down for details. | |
| Smithsonian Affiliates |
| Looking for a way to entertain your houseguests this Thanksgiving? How about visiting a Smithsonian Affiliate museum in your city or town? With 150 Affiliates in 30 states and DC (and Panama and Puerto Rico) -- from the Dallas Museum of Natural History to the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha -- you're sure to find something to interest everyone in the family and make this Thanksgiving especially memorable. | |
| Seasons of Light |
| Kids will love celebrating a world of holidays reflecting the warmth and light of many cultures -- Devali, Ramadan, Sankta Lucia, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Christmas, and First Nations traditions -- at the Discovery Theater. Audience interaction is encouraged! Special ornament making activity and treats after the December 9 show. Ages 4 to 9. Shows throughout late November and early December. Tickets required. | |
To learn more about new and upcoming Smithsonian exhibitions and events, click here. | 
| Are You a Geography Whiz? |
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Do you think you would recognize a picture of where you live? What if the picture was taken from space? Take the Geography from Space quiz and test your knowledge of world geography in pictures presented by the Smithsonian's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies of the Earth. |
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If You Like Focus...
Join the thousands of aviation, space, and planetary science enthusiasts who enjoy reading news about National Air and Space Museum events, exhibitions, artifacts. Subscribe to the Museum's monthly e-newsletter now! | |
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| Make Your Own Holiday Cards |
Friends and family will love the handmade cards you create in this workshop at the National Postal Museum. Washington, DC art teacher Mary Arcuri will help students of all ages craft unique holiday cards using the beautiful materials, hand cancelled stamps, and holiday sentiments provided by the Museum. December 2, reservations required.
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We Need You!
Gifts from individuals are essential to the work of the Smithsonian Institution.
Your generosity makes possible exciting exhibitions, innovative research, inspiring programs, and much more.
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Focus Trivia
Which Smithsonian museum has only one exterior window that faces outward? |
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Why I Love the Smithsonian
Jim Pepper Henry, |
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Associate Director for Community and Constituent Services, National Museum of the American Indian
One of the greatest honors of my life was to co-lead the procession of 30,000 people from nearly 600 Native Nations along the National Mall on the Museum's opening day. The museum is a dream come true for many Native peoples, especially the elders. The Smithsonian now provides a venue for Native peoples to express themselves and to tell their stories in the Nation's Capitol. I am proud to serve the Museum in its efforts to bring programs and services beyond its walls to peoples throughout the hemisphere. | |
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Did You Know...
President Franklin Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving Day to one week earlier in 1939 and 1940. Protest over the rescheduling of football games and Thanksgiving parades forced Congress to change it back -- permanently. Learn more about Thanksgiving |
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Tell a Friend
Do you know someone who would like to receive Smithsonian Focus each month? Click here to invite friends and family to sign up! |
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Answer to the Focus Trivia Question:
The Hirshhorn Museum -- a massive concrete building in the shape of a cylinder -- has only one exterior window not facing its inner courtyard. The window provides a panoramic view of the Mall. Learn more about the Hirshhorn.
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